Fly to Oslo

2nd September 2023

The flight is very full, as advised, it had been overbooked. Initially we fly from Singapore to Copenhagen, with a flight time of 12hrs and 15 minutes. We are expected to arrive at around 6.45 am and we have a connecting flight to Oslo leaving at 8.10am. A pretty tight turnaround but we are assured all will be well.

Early in the flight there is a fair bit of turbulence, but the cabin crew manage to work around it and get everyone fed. The dinner meal was pretty ordinary compared to our Sydney to Singapore flight.

Otherwise it was an uneventful flight, we got a few hours sleep and arrived in Copenhagen at close to the planned time.

What we didn't realise was that we would be clearing immigration at Copenhagen, as it was our first point of entry into the EU. We arrived at the immigration queue to see a long line, and processing is proceeding steadily, but not quickly. We have in mind that we need to make it to the gate for our connecting flight to Oslo before it closes. Timing looks OK, but the officer processing our line, closes her booth, packs up and walks off after letting some crew through. There are still a lot of people to be processed, but no one appears very concerned. 

Eventually we managed to get diverted into one of the other queues, and made it to our gate (which was fortunately not far past the immigration station), with a little time to spare. The positive side was there was no long wait to get on the plane.

It was only a 55min flight to Oslo. We left a bit late but were there by 9.30am, our bags managed to get transferred onto our plane during the short stopover and getting through Oslo airport was a breeze.

Ordering a cab at the airport is done via a digital kiosk where you type in your destination, number of people and bags, and it then displays a number of options each with fixed prices. A pretty good system. We ended up with a mini bus which was cheaper than we would pay in Sydney for a 52 km trip.

Oslo will be home for the next 2 nights and we are staying in the middle of town at the Thon Opera Hotel, next to the railway station and across the road from the Opera House.

Arriving at the hotel at around 11am, it is too early to check in, so we put our bags in storage and go sightseeing.

Our hotel

Oslo's Main Railway Station

Dining area inside the station

Located on the harbour shoreline across the road from our hotel is the famous Oslo Opera House. It is a stark piece of modern architecture. Construction started in 2003 and it was completed in 2007. It is quite unique as you can walk all over the top of the building, including the roof. The external cladding is all marble slabs with a rough finish to make a serviceable walking surface.

Oslo Opera House

The views from the rooftop make the climb to the top worthwhile.

Next to the opera House is a Museum dedicated to Norways famous artist, Edvard Munch.

Across the harbour from the Opera House is a large Art Deco Office Building called Havnelagartet, which literally means "the harbour storage". It apparently now houses Norwegien Defence Estates Agency as tenants.

Another unusual site is the cluster of floating saunas that sit in the harbour opposite the Opera House. They are wood fired and look like they are hired out by groups. 

They come in all shapes and sizes

The cruise ship terminal is also included in this harbour and 2 ships were in port when we were looking around.

After a walk back past the railway station we decided to head in the direction of the crowds to find somewhere to have lunch. Ideally a small cafe or deli where we could sit down for a while.

We eventually found a nice place which was very busy, but we could get a table and we sat down to some very tasty smoked salmon baguettes and coffee.

After lunch we went back to the hotel for a rest, as we have all had little sleep over the past 24 hours or so. It was now about 1.45pm, so we could also finally check in. On arrival back at the foyer it seemed to be full of people being attended to by Viking Cruise representatives. My guess is that they are probably on our cruise and doing the pre cruise option train trip to Bergen through Viking.

Check in was no problem, and we were soon in our room, initially thinking someone was in our bed, but soon realising this is how you make up a hotel bed, Norwegien style.

 Whilst I was tired, I was not ready to have a sleep in the middle of the day, so decided to hit the streets to explore the area a bit further away from our hotel. There were a lot of people out, as it is Saturday, and most of the action appears to be in the direction of the next port around from where were are, near city hall.

Once I found my way around there the place was alive, and I found myself in the middle of The Olso Havnelangs - Harbour Festival.

It was a bit like turning up at the Hobart Wooden boat show with vintage cars added for extra interest.

As is traditional at these types of shows, there is always a group of diesel enthusiasts who have resurrected some old engines and feel the need to fire them up for the public.

I walked back along the shoreline to our hotel, being able to follow the shore most of the way until I came to the cruise terminal, which was fenced off.

 

The Akershus Fortress

The fish market is along this shoreline and a Hanse 540 yacht was berthed very tightly with a couple of other boats in a little inlet near the fish market.

The Fish Market

All along this shoreline there are restaurants and bars that were all doing a good trade.

I am back at the hotel by around 5pm, after a good look around. Time for a shower and then a pre drinner drink.

At lunch time we were beginning to get a feel for the cost of things in Norway, but thought whilst $40 for a baguette and a cup of coffee was not a bargain, we expected things to be expensive. A touch of reality hit when we ordered a few drinks at the bar downstairs. It was $90 for two beers (pints) and 2 glasses of white wine.

Unfazed we headed off to dinner at a restaurant (called Olivia's) attached to the railway station that looked out over the square. It was a big restaurant once you got inside, and it was busy. It was Italian food and we each found something that suited our taste. Drinks were outrageously priced, but that's Norway we have discovered. The entree arrived in a timely manner and was very nice, but by 8.45 pm, there was still no sign of our main courses. To their credit, the staff realised something was wrong and we were told that they had stuffed up the order, but we should have our food soon. After a few apologies from various staff, the manager appeared, apologised and waived all food charges, so we only paid for the drinks. A bottle of average Italian red and a glass of Chardonnay was only around $180, what a steal.

The food was good, eventually and were all in bed soon after.